The business of Internet, wireless, and telecom law.
Starting in 1996, the FCC began the work of moving TV broadcasters from analog to digital TV. At the time it was anticipated that TV stations would use their spectrum to deliver additional, unspecified non-broadcast- type services. In 1998, the FCC prescribed a rule (47 CFR 73.624(g )), following the 1996 Telecom Act, allowing TV [...]
The December 23, 2010 Network Neutrality order, "Preserving the Open Internet," is the FCC’s attempt to regulate the problems created by the lack of broadband provider competition to the home. Commissioner Copps framed the problem in his statement: Allowing … monopoly or duopoly broadband Internet access service providers to exercise unfettered control over Americans’ access [...]
The Comcast net neutrality order was rejected and returned to the FCC by the D.C. Court of Appeals in April 2010. The order, as we all know, focuses on the FCC’s attempted regulation of a cable company’s Internet network management practice. Comcast and cable providers were pleased with the outcome as these providers know just [...]
Technorati Tags: Spectrum,FCC,NTIA,Senator Kerry In 2003, President Bush issued an Executive Order entitled “Spectrum Policy for the 21st Century” ordering the Department of Commerce’s NTIA to identify spectrum and propose policies for the spectrum’s more efficient use. The Federal Government Spectrum Task Force was created led by NTIA and consisting of all the departments except [...]
Yesterday FCC Commissioner McDowell released a letter addressed to Acting Chairman Copps. One great suggestion (see the list) in his letter was the proposal that the Commission schedule in advance Open Meeting dates. Commissioner McDowell explained: We need to improve our external communications regarding FCC processes and actions. As an immediate first step, I suggest [...]
On September 17, 2007, only 10 days after the Pulvermedia’s FMC conference in Chicago where Sprint discussed its future femtocell plans, Sprint formerly announced that it would immediately start offering its AIRAVE femtocell solution in Denver and Indianapolis. Sprint included a cool marketing video about AIRAVE and femtocells on the Sprint web site. While two trials [...]
A lot has been happening with MediaFlo mobile video. After considerable study, the European Union’s Executive Commission decided on July 18, 2007, that it would recommend that EU countries use Europe’s home grown DVB-H (“Digital Video Broadcasting for Handhelds”) standard, and not the MediaFlo standard. The EC decision may well have been driven by the fact [...]
Femtocells are going to move fast in the coming 12 months. Wireless carriers will push the residential gateway from zero units to millions. On August 13, 2007, Xchange Magazine reported that In-Stat is projecting that by 2011 there will be 40 million femtocells in use and 101 million users of femtocells. Femtocells are micro cell phone [...]
Femtocells could have a dramatic change on the cell phone service environment. ABI research predicts there will be 150 million femtocell users by 2012. That is from zero users today, as reported by GigaOm. On the other side of the race, In-Sat, as quoted in PDAStreet, projects there will be 200 million dual mode WiFi [...]
UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) is driving FMC (Fixed Mobile Convergence). UMA is really WiFi and cell phones combined. ABI Research, as reported by InformationWeek, currently projects that there will be 65 million UMA users by 2012. The growth in UMA is happening without strategic thinking by the wireless providers. Almost like a small sound that will [...]
